Tractor carried railroad car straightener



Aug. 24, 1965 Filed July 2, 1962 R. S. HILL TRACTOR CARRIED RAILROAD CAR STRAIGHTENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.2 [4o 36 [\f 13 42 39 as m INVENTOR.

RUSSELL S. HILL ie c' MM A TORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 TRACTOR Filed July 2, 1962 R. s. HILL 3,201,968

CARRIED RAILROAD CAR STRAIGHTENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I l3 '2 ;f

C! CD EH INVENTOR.

RUSSELL s. mu.

ATTORNEY Aug. 24, 1965 R. s. HILL TRACTOR CARRIED RAILROAD CAR STRAIGHTENER Filed July 2, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l 5 8 2 8 "w 3 .f\ 4 all A 0 L 5 9 8 L 6 m w a F 1 1 U m m A M M w AV m 8 9 3 8 m m E w 6 1 9 V 8 7 7 M m m n w 3 O 9 I m n H F 4 8 r RUSSELL S. HILL 2 ATTORNEY I of FIG. 5.

develop bent or bulged end plates,

United States Patent 3,201,963 TRAQTUR CARRIED RAILROAD @AR STRAHGHTENER Russell Stanley Hill, Lafayette, Caiih, assrgnor to Deere dz Company, Moline, 11th, a corporation of Delaware I Filed July 2, 1962, Ser. No. 200,831 '7 (Claims. (@l. '72-392) This invention relates generally to bending and straightening apparatus and more particularly to apparatus of this character for straightening the bent or bulged end plates on railroad cars, such as hopper cars, gondola cars, and other cars having metal end plates or other metal parts that may become bent or deformed in service.

The object and general nature of this invention is the provision of means and method for straightening or otherwise bringing metal railroad car parts back into the desired position or configuration, especially car end plates.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a means and a method for straightening the metal end plates of railroad car-s without having to remove the cars from the railroad track into a repair shop but, instead, the cars may be repaired in situ while on the track.

Preferably, this invention contemplates coupling two cars together in the usual manner, one or both of the cars requiring straightening the car ends, or other service, equipping a mobile crane with a movably mounted hydraulic jack, and driving the crane to a position adjacent the space between the cars, swinging the jack into position with the base of the jack against one car and the head against the bulged or bent portion of the other car, and then energizing the jack to exert a force sufficient to bend the bulged portion back to the proper or desired position, the straightening force reacting against said one car and through the coupling against the other car,

A further feature of this invention is the provision of means for straightening the sides of a gondola car. According to this feature of my invention, I provide slightly different tool heads to which hook-s adapted to engage .over the sides of the car are connected. Retracting the cylinders will pull the sides of the car inward.

These and other objects and advantages of this inven- "tion will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following description of the pre ferred structure incorporating the principles of this invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tractor-carried apparatus incorporating the principles of this invention.

.of .a modified form of invention wherein the sides of a gondola car or the like may readily be straightened.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan View taken at .a reduced scale of a further modified form of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken along the line 66 In the operation of a railroad, rolling stock, such as hopper cars, gondola cars, and box cars with metal ends,

due to the effect of shifting cargo due to humping and the like, and during thousands of miles of service the bulges become objectionable. First, they prevent the successful vertical stacking on pallets, and in extreme cases the bulged ends -inter-fere with the connection of the car drawbars. When the car ends become so bulged and deformed safety regulations require that the cars be declared in bad order and they must be repaired before they can be restored to service.

B ad order or bulged cars are serviced at the present time by removing the cars from the cleaning track and switching them onto a repair track. Cars to be straightened are then worked on by a permanently installed pneumatically controlled press or by a permanent installation in the car repair shop. Switching a car through this cycle, plus cost of the actual repairs and any penalty for foreign cars, that is, cars owned by railroads other than the servicing railroad, make this method a relatively expensive one, besides tying up the car or cars for two or three days. According to the present invention the adjacent bulged ends of two coupled cars can be straightened in from 5 to 15 minutes and without removing the cars onto any special track.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 19 indicates a mobile crane of generally conventional construction and includes a tractor 11, which maybe a wheel tractor or a crawler tractor, supporting an attachment including a crane mast 13 rotatable about a generally vertical axis and supported in a frame or housing 15 carried at the rear of the tractor. The mast 13 extends upward'ly and pivotal-1y receives a generally vertically swingable boom 16 that is actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 17. Another cylinder 18, carried by the outer portion of the boom 16, actuates an outer or crowd boom 19 pivoted at 21 to the outer end of the boom 16. The outer boom 19 carries a boom extension 22 that swivelly receive the upper end of a spindle 25 that forms a part of a rotary cylinder unit carried within a hanger housing 26. Fluid lines (not shown) lead to the rotary cylinder, and since the spindle 25 is held against rotation relative to the boom extension the housing 26 is rotated around in one direction or the other, according to the direction fluid is directed to the rotary cylinder. Suitable fluid lines, in addition to those just mentioned, are connected with the cylinders 17 and 18, and the frame .or housing 15 sup ports or encloses suitable hydraulic controls and necessary power units and controlling valve means whereby the main and outer booms and the rotary unit 26 may be actuated as desired.

According to this invention, I provide a hydraulic jack 30 and connect the same to the hanger housing 26 by suitable pins and bolts 31 and apertured portions 32 of the unit 30. The unit 31) includes a suitable support 35 having a pair of cylinders 36 and a second cylinder 37. Suitable lines (not shown) extend from opposite ends of the cylinders 36 and 37 through or alongside the booms 16 and 19, and the mast 13 to the hydraulic controls of the unit 12. Enlarged flat heads 39 are remouably connected to the pistons 4d of cylinders 36 and a head 41 is swingably connected to a yoke 42 fixed to the outer end 4310f the cylinder 37. The large heads 39 provide a wide area of contact so as to confine the bending action at the bending head 41. The jack may be equipped with a variety of tool heads to handle various straightening jobs, and the heads 39 and 41 preferably are of such diameter that they fit between the rungs of a ladder, for example.

In operation, the mobile crane carrying the rotatably supported jack 30 is driven down the roadway or space ad acent the track T (FIG. 3) on which the two intercoupled cars C and C to be repaired are disposed until the crane is in a position such that the unit12 is in line with the opening between the two railroad cars, as shown 1n FIG. 3. The car couplings are shown at c and 0 The unit 30 is then swung into position between the two cars and rotated until the straightening head 41 is placed against the bent or bulged part to be restored to proper shape and the flat heads 39 against the end of the other car at points generally opposite the head 41. Thus lined 3 r I up, when fluid under pressure is directed into the cylinders 36 and 37 the jack is extended and tie portion of the bent car end that is engaged by the head tl'is brought i back to shape. The reactionofthecylinders is transmitted through the broad plate s 39 (wbichthus do not appreciably tend to bend the associated car end plate). to the other car, and since the cars are coupled together thereaction is transmitted through the coupling to the car having the bent end. If more than. one bulge is to be corrected it is a simple matter to retract the jack cyl-'- inders and manipulatethe crane booms to shift the jack ened, after one end is straightened the jack is released.

and rotated 180, and then the other car end is straightened. The three cylinders 36, 36', and 37 are in terconnected so that they, in effect make the unit self-leveling.

It is to be noted, particularly from FIG. 3, that the apparatus of this inventionis self-centering; that is, if, for instance, one head of the jack .3!) should engage a car end before the other end, the boom is free to shift to accommodatethe movement of the housing 35 necessary to permit continued extension of the jack'until th other head comes up against the other car endf If more than two cars are to be straightened, it is easy and convenient to drive the tractor along' the space or roadway along the track untilthe next two cars are.

reached. Then the above recited steps are repeated.v The straightening heads 41 may be of various shapes asnecessary to fit the parts or portions to be straightened. For

example, a straightening die of the required shape may .be provided for straightening ladders on the ends of the cars. If the bulged portion is o'f'considerableextent it is a simple matter to perform the straightening" operation at a plurality'of points from side to side or up and down along the car end plate. Repairs niayeasily be made along a siding if an adjacent roadway is available or on a car cleaning line without requiring that the cars be shifted to a car repair line or station.

A modified form of this'invention is shown in FIG. 4.

sides of the *support 35 that is connected by the bolts 31 to the hanger housing26, in the manner described above in connection with FIG. 1. Between the cylinders. 61 and carried by the support 35 is a third forcenter. cylinder 67 the pistonrod '68 of which is connected to a second cross head 69 to which a chain 71 havinga hook I 72 is connected. The cylinders Hand 67 are arranged generally in the same way'as the cylinders 36 and 37 of'FIG. 2. I I I v a In operation, in the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, the crane is maneuvered into a position disposing the jack unit 3011 directlyover the gondola whose sides have been sprung outwardly and which th ereforeneed straightening. The cylindersare extended and then the hooks 65 and 72 are engaged with the sides 75 of the gondola car C to be repaired. The cylinders 61 and 67 are then retracted to the extent necessary to. bring the sides 75 back to proper shape and the pressurethen released so asito free the unit 30a and permitits being lifted away from the car. 7 V 'FIGS. and 6 illustrate aform on the car sides prior to exerting any straightening ac tion. I

of invention similar to that shown in FIG. 4 but which has an added ad-- vantage that the ca straightening: unit may beisupported vspaced apart side bars 83, and end bar .84 and a cross bar 8'5v rigidly interconnected together. A pair of cylinders 86 and a third or center cylinder 87 are fixed to the lower portions of the support 35 preferably in. the manner 5 shown in FIGS. 1 and'2. The cylinder 87 includes a piston rod188 (FIG. 5) connectedby a' yoke 89toalug 91 fixed to the associated end-bar 84. Each of the other c'ylinders'86 has a piston rod 93 the outer end of which is fixed by alconnector 94' to the associated end bar 84. Each of the cross :bars .85 carriesa lug 96 adapted to abut against the outer face'of the associated car side 75.

As best shown in FIG. 6, the telescoping frames 81 and. 82 are dimensioned when extended tolie across the sides 75 of thecar and be supported thereon, although theframes 81 and 82 and the cylinders-86 and 87 are carried by thecrane support member 35 when the frames 81 and lare out of contact with the car sides.

In operation, in this form of theinvention, thecrane is driven along the roadway until it reaches the car whose sides are to be straightened. The crane boom is elevated to raise the unit of FIGS. 5 and 6 over the car and then lowered until the frames reston the car sides, with the :abutments or lugs-96 outside the-car sides. 'The'cylinders 86 and 87 are then extended so as to pull the car sides inwardly into a near normal condition. Where necessary, this straightening action may be. applied at several points along the length of the car. I

While I have shown and described above structure in which the principles of thepresent invention have been incorporated, it is to-be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular details, shown and describedabove, but that, in fact, widely different means may be employedin the practice of the broader aspects of our invention. I What I-claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

' 1. The-method of straightening a bent or bulged plate at one end of a first railroad car, which comprises the steps of I II coupling a second railroad 'car to said one endof said first railroad car having the bent or bulged end plate, supporting a hydraulic jack having a .base and a head horizontally between said cars so 'that the head bears I against said bent or bulged portion of said first car and the base bears against theend of said second car, and applying fluid pressure to said jack to expand the same and react through said second car and the coupling between said cars to push the bent or bulged end toward normal position. 4 p 2. Themethod of straightening bulged and bent plates on one end of a railroad car, comprising the steps of assemblingtwo cars, one having a bent or bulged end I plate, on a railroad track having an adjacent roadway, coupling said cars togetherI with the bulged or a bent end plate adjacent the rear end of the other car, equipping a mobile crane having a boom with a generally-horizontally disposed hydraulic jack having oppositely movable heads, I movingsaid crane on saidv roadway untilit isin a position'to support said hydraulic jack between said ad- -jacent end plates, p disposing said hydraulic jack so that one head engages one of saidcar ends and the other head engagesan I outwardly bent or bulged portion of the-other car .endplate, I y and, directing fluid underpressure to saidjack to ex tend said heads and bend the bent or bulged portion back to its original position or substantially so. 3. The method of straightening abent or bulged plate 0 at the end of-a railroad car, which comprises the steps of 1 coupling one railroad car with the. bent or bulged end plate to another railroad car and moving them over .onto a railroad track, such as a siding or the like having an open space alongside the track, 75 equipping a mobile crane havinga boom with a horithe preferred zontally swingable hydraulic jack having oppositely disposed fore and aft shiftable heads,

moving said crane along said open space until the crane comes close to the adjacent ends of the coupled cars,

shifting the boom of the crane and said jack until the latter extends between the cars longitudinally thereof in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis of the coupling between said cars,

directing fluid under pressure to said jack to extend the latter and exert a straightening force on the bent or bulged car end plate, and transmitting the reaction of said straightening force to said other car through said coupling back to said one car.

4. Means for straightening bulged and bent end plates 3 of railway cars and the like, comprising the combination a mobile crane having a boom,

a hydraulic jack having means serving as a pair of oppositely movable heads, said jack being so constructed and arranged that when disposed generally horizontally between a pair of coupled railroad cars in a generally fore and aft direction the heads are adapted to engage the adjacent ends of said cars,

means movably supporting said jack from the outer end of said boom so that said hydraulic jack rnay be disposed longitudinally in respect to and between the coupled cars with one head bearing against the end of one car and the other head bearing against the adjacent end of the other car,

and means on the crane for directing fluid under pressure to said jack for extending said jack and thereby exerting pressure through said heads against car ends so as to straighten the latter,

the coupling between the cars sustaining the reaction of the pressure exerted by said jack heads against the car ends.

5. Means for restoring one or more bent or deformed parts of a railroad car while the latter is supported on a railroad track disposed alongside a roadway, comprising a frame adapted to be supported on the car and including telescopically associated parts,

car part engaging means on said telescopically associated parts,

a mobile crane adapted to move along said roadway to a point alongside said railroad car and including a source of hydraulic power and maneuverable means adapted to receive and support said frame,

and hydraulic means on said frame connectible with said source of hydraulic power for extending and retracting said telescopically associated parts.

6. The invention set forth in claim 5, further characterized by said frame being constructed and arranged to rest on the upper edges of the sides of said railroad car.

7. Means for straightening the sides of a roalroad car of the open gondola type, comprising frame means including a pair of telescopically associated frame parts,

hook means fixed to the outer portions of said frame parts and adapted to engage the outer faces of the sides of said car,

portions of said frame parts extending outwardly beyond said hook means so as to rest on the sides of said car when said hook means lie at the outer faces of said sides,

and hydraulic means carried by said frame means and connected with said frame parts for extending or retracting them.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,576,204 3/26 Maxey l53--48 1,749,806 3/30 Fisher 153-48 XR 2,200,133 5/40 Mandl 153-48 2,334,080 11/43 Freeman 153-48 2,535,054 12/50 Ernst et al. 25493 XR 2,639,826 5/53 Weldon.

2,746,492 5/56 DeHardit.

2,814,396 11/57 Neale.

2,940,500 6/60 Plaster 153-48 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF STRAIGHTENING A BENT OR BULGED PLATE AT ONE END OF A FIRST RAILROAD CAR, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF COUPLING A SECOND RAILROAD CAR TO SAID ONE END OF SAID FIRST RAILROAD CAR HAVING THE BENT OR BULGED END PLATE, SUPPORTING A HYDRUALIC JACK HAVING A BASE AND A HEAD HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN SAID CARS SO THAT THE HEAD BEARS HORIZONTALLY BETWEEN SAID CARS SO THAT THE HEAD BEARS AGAINST SAID BENT OR BULGED PORTION OF SAID FIRST CAR AND THE BASE BEARS AGAINST THE END OF SAID SECOND CAR, 